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Opponents of two constitutional amendments limiting taxes plan to knock doors across the state, as an opposition campaign starts this week.
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Voters will decide whether to pass two constitutional amendments about taxes. This is what you’ll be asked on your Nov. 3 ballot:
Voters will mark either “for” or “against.”
Progressive groups Down Home NC and Carolina Federation are against the measures, criticizing the proposals as part of recent Republican-led tax policy they say limits public services and other funding.
Down Home NC focuses on rural areas, while Carolina Federation focuses on metro areas. They’re joining together to knock on 500,000 doors before the November election to urge voters to vote against the tax amendments. They’ll also host several town halls across the state.
Todd Zimmer of Down Home NC called the proposals “irresponsible.”
“I am so angry that we are facing these amendments at all,” said Zimmer, Down Home NC’s co-executive director. “We deserve so much better and can have so much better in this state.”
Zimmer said the constitutional amendments, if passed, “will permanently change and restrict the right to raise revenue.”
“We will not be able to set taxes where we need them to be for North Carolinians to thrive,” he said.
The state income tax is already set to be reduced from 3.99% this year to 3.49% in 2027. If the cap passes, future legislatures could only raise personal income tax by 0.01%. That was part of a deal reached between top Republicans to pass a budget this summer.
The state’s revenue also comes from sales tax and corporate income tax, though Republicans plan to phase out corporate income tax, which Down Home NC and Carolina Federation also oppose. Neither of those taxes are on fall ballots.
Voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2018 to cap the individual income tax rate at 7%, and the rate has steadily dropped over the years Republicans have controlled both legislative chambers.
During Senate floor debate in May over the income tax amendment, Senate Majority Leader Michael Lee said the state has had budget surpluses while reducing the income tax rate.
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“Now is a good time to ask the voters, do you want a tax cap at 3.5%?” said Lee, a New Hanover County Republican.
Both tax amendments passed with three-fifths support, meaning they bypassed the desk of Democratic Gov. Josh Stein and went straight to ballots. Two unaffiliated House representatives, who became unaffiliated after losing their Democratic primaries, voted for both amendments.
Republicans argue they can fund services while cutting taxes. “The sky is not falling,” Rep. Steve Tyson, a Craven County Republican, said during May debate.
Melissa Norton of Carolina Federation told The News & Observer during a press conference on Tuesday that the proposals are “preying upon people’s affordability crisis.”
“People are going to see this and think, oh this is good for me,” she said about the property tax levy limit proposal, which requires the General Assembly to instill a levy limit, but not a specific amount.
Lawmakers in future legislative sessions will determine the levy limit, if the amendment passes. The General Assembly is controlled by Republicans, who decide what legislation gets a floor vote.
“It’s a blank check,” said Norton, Carolina Federation’s research and policy director. “Voters are going to be voting on something that we really don’t know what future lawmakers are going to do with it.”
A recent Catawba College-YouGov poll of 1,000 North Carolinians showed support from both Republicans and Democrats for both amendments, though support dropped especially among Democrats when context was shared beyond the ballot questions.
The poll results show that 67% of respondents supported the income tax amendment when given the basic information, and nearly the same — 66% — when additional context was added.
However, support for the property tax amendment dropped with context, with 79% supporting the measure after a simple question and 69% supporting it after hearing that local governments might have to cut services if they don’t have enough revenue. Among Democrats, 71% of those polled by Catawba College supported the property tax limit, or 56% after being given context. For the income tax cap, 59% of Democrats supported it, or 50% with context.
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